by Ana Pizzolio, Features Editor
Music in Louisiana moves more than the tourism industry in the state – it is also the inspiration behind STRING THEORY: GUITAR STRING JEWELRY COMPANY.
Amanda Wells is Houma native who created the line of designer jewelry. String Theory’s jewelry are one of a kind designer pieces handmade in Louisiana from guitar strings. Besides the exclusivity of each piece, Louisianians’ love for music made the company a instantaneous success.
“Everybody loves music and guitar strings definitely pull at the heartstrings of people,” Wells says.
String Theory is a recurrent vendor at the Voice of the Wetlands Festival. Their booth is also a guaranteed presence on several other festivals in the region.
Designer pieces from the Louisiana Blues Collection jewelry, made with guitar strings from VOW founder and musician Tad Benoit, raised $700 for the preservation of the wetlands at the festival’s live auction.
Wells, who is a former nurse, is married to a local musician Bob Wells and is mother to three musical talented daughters. Before her music-related jewelry line, she was the only one in her family who had no strings with music. Her designer jewelry line reflects a combination of her passion for music, talents and interests.
“I decided I need to do something creative,” Wells says. “I was the only one that wasn’t musical, so I just went in the back door of music.”
The idea of crafting string jewelry came on a saturday afternoon. Wells found one of her husband’s spare guitar string laying around in her house and, instead of putting it aside in a storage box, she decided to give the strings a new purpose.
A couple of strings, some crystals and wire was all she needed to create what came to be the first piece of her jewelry company. After a very positive feedback from her daughters, Wells published a picture of the bracelet on social media. For her surprise, the jewelry was hit and she had dozens of people offering to purchase the piece on the first day.
“It is beautiful jewelry that just happens to be made out of guitar strings,” Wells adds.
The next step was to create more pieces and put it to the test at Wells’ sister’s gift shop. The jewelry sold quickly and attracted the interest of sales representatives. After that point, the guitar string jewelry rapidly grew from a hobby to a successful entrepreneurship.
Currently, Wells’ jewelry is sold in more than 600 stores across the country. With the increasing demand for the handmade pieces, Wells’ middle daughter Hilary decided to join her mom in the pursue of the business venture.
The mother-daughter duo are responsible for the design, creation and marketing of all the jewelry. Hillary, who graduated in Mass Communication from Nicholls State University, is also the Public Relations person for the company.